Elmo Live at Scottrade Center

Checking out the stage before the show

The $10 unavoidable purchase of the Elmo balloon

Nice to meet you!

I've Got A Fast Car

Headlights...check

Maybe the hole needs to be a little bigger

Feel the wind in my hair

Hey! Get out of the way! He gets his driving etiquette from dad.

See ya later!

Love Birds-Craft

What do you do with extra holiday candy?

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Icing

Candy Bar Toppings Kit Kat, Reese's, Snickers, Milky Way, and M&M

Off to the races

Horses 1 and 2 G3 has the green horse that he named Pete

Pete takes the lead

The pink pony advances ...they head up the stairs

Pete goes down the stairs

off to the stable...umhmmm bed

Woman to Woman

If you are a woman who has spent your life imaging what it would be like to have a child, then you know how devastating it can be to be told you can not. There is a huge grieving process. Then if you are a woman who has been told that there is no chance to conceive and you go through that grief process and find out surprise your pregnant you go through a whole different realm of emotions, denial, anger, sadness, anxiety and happiness.

I went through the roller coaster of emotions. I have a wonderful little boy. After you have the first child people begin to ask when you will have the next. I would laugh it off with comments like, I am not a machine, children are not potato chips you can have just one. I didn't want to push my luck and try for another child. The thought was always there. We had many conversations about it. We felt one more would make our family complete. So we tried. We failed. We miscarried. We tried. I faced a mountain of emotions-grief, embarrassment, uselessness, hopelessness.

Every woman in my family is like a fertility factory. The get pregnant the first time they try. They get pregnant with out trying. I have watched my friends get pregnant with their second, third, fourth....Now my sister in law is pregnant. It is hard to be happy for her and not feel bitter.

With all the technology that allow for communication infertility is still one topic most women do not want to discuss. It is still a closed door policy. My husband does not wish to discuss it in public or in private. I would love to end this post with a happy ending. That I am pregnant, but I am not. I am just trying to focus on the blessings I have. I have been truly blessed with my family.-

Family Movie Night--Charlie Brown and Snoopy

Snoopy Hats and Movie Ticket

We got our concessions.

Doin Laundry

relaxing in his recliner while waiting on the machine

I hope his interest does not fade as he gets older. I dislike doing laundry.

New Version of Guitar Hero

Homemade Guitar. G3 kept shouting Rock n Roll. He has a favorite t-shirt with a guitar on it. He calls it his rock n roll shirt.

Guitar and Daddy's shoes.

I see you!

We made homemade binoculars. G3 asks do you see me as he looks through the binoculars. We have had hours of play with these.

My Favorite Stress Management

Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies with my favorite guy.

Stomping Bubble Wrap

Ahhh that feels so much better!

Tribute to Nana Budke

"Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you"

"Its the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary"

"Take lots of pictures someday you will be glad you did"

"Being an adult can be fun when you are acting like a child"

"Your actions now create memories for later"

"we regret more about the things we didn't do than the things we did do"

"Your health is your life"

Nana passed away December 19th 2010. G3 was told that Nana went to be with baby Jesus. Every time G3 looks at the manager he looks for his Nana. I thought he had forgotten about the manager until her funeral. We were at the church and they still had the Christmas Display. G3 did role call for everyone in the manager, but there was no Nana. I told him that Nana was with baby Jesus in heaven. He told me, "okay, Nana be right back." It's so hard to explain to a 2 year old where his Nana is and why he can't see her. It's darn right unfair that she is gone. We have wonderful pictures of G3 and Nana and will forever tell him the story of Nana.

LaPizza-University City Missouri

We took G3 out of school a little early today. We did a family trip to his favorite pizza place. The owners let him have a behind the scenes look at how pizza is made while we waited for our pizza. It was like an after school special.

Sugar Cube Construction

I will be home all week during G3's recovery. We will have lots of crafts.

Surgery-- 2011

Seriously, what are we doing here?

Tubes in both ears and adenoid removal. Surgery was a success. We are at home and he is eating bacon.